Backroom calling for GB legend

All-time Great British legend David Longstaff will be joining the back room staff for the upcoming Division 1A World Championship tournament in Hungary later this week.

Longstaff, a veteran with 101 caps at international level, retired from playing duty earlier this year after nearly 20 years in the GB set-up. He made his first appearance for GB in 1994 and has been a vital addition in major tournaments and world championships since.

He is coming off the back of a league and cup double for the Guildford Flames in the English Premier League and his experience and eye for talent will be greatly used during the tournament.

Longstaff commented to the IHUK website; “I am very proud and honoured to be asked to join the GB staff by Tony Hand. I loved playing for the national side and now to back with GB again is fantastic.”

“We have a great group of guys here and I am looking forward to being involved.”

Head Coach Tony Hand added: “Lobby had a fantastic playing career for GB and he is a terrific addition to our staff.

“He has always been a popular player in the dressing room and his 101 caps at international level prove he has the experience.

“We will use that experience and he will scout other teams at the tournament – something which is very important when you play five games in such a short space of time.”

It is a smart move by Hand and the GB organisation to include Longstaff within the team; in a support capacity. Whilst he will not be lacing up the skates, his eye for the game and ability to read plays will prove vital as GB lock horns with the likes of Italy, South Korea, Kazakhstan and the hosts Hungary during the round robin tournament.

Longstaff Retires from GB duty

It has been a while since I last posted, due mostly to a busy Christmas and New Year period, however I felt it right that the first post in 2013 should be regarding the sadning news that David Longstaff has called time on his international career with Team GB.

The 38 year old, Guildford Flames forward, took part in his first major tournament in the 1994 Pool A World Championship and has gone on to contest in a further 17 major tournaments over the past 20 years which has resulted in Longstaff reaching the remarkable milestone of 101 GB caps.

The announcement for some has been disappointing, coming just a matter of weeks before the team head out to Latvia for the final qualification round for Sochi 2014 “Winter Olympics”. Longstaff, seen as a leader amongst his peers, will surely be missed from the dressing room for Team GB. I would say that he has been an influential part of the Team GB set up in recent years and has provided the leadership and guidance to those younger players coming through the ranks. Despite his age (38 isn’t old by any means) he was still able to competitively play at international level, as shown from the Team’s last major qualification tournament in Japan.

I have seen some comments floating around the internet and social networking sites that he was being selfish and only made the decision because he wasn’t likely to be selected by Head Coach Tony Hand. However some are being rather rash in their assessment of Longstaff’s contribution to the organisation and British Hockey as a whole. It is regrettable the timing of this announcement; as it is likely that David would have played a role in the qualification round in Latvia in February, however he has made the decision off his own back and no one but himself will know how long this has been in the pipeline. Although his presence in Latvia will be greatly missed, it allows the curent crop of British talent to make a name for themselves and establish their place in the Team GB set up.

Should the remarkable happen, and it is well within the grasp of the talent we currently have, and Team GB qualify for the Winter Olympics in Sochi next year, then there will be much emphasis placed on development of the players and of the sport in the UK. Only last week it was announced that the British Olympic Association had succeeded in securing a $100,000 (about £740,000) grant from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity World Programme to support Ice Hockey UK in its efforts to qualify a British men’s team for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The entire grant will be directed to Ice Hockey UK and will be utilised to help defray expenses associated with team training camps, travel for competition and other costs associated with the ongoing effort to qualify for the Games.

Great Britain last made an appearance in the Olympic ice hockey tournament at the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland; so much importance has been placed on the hopeful qualification for 2014. Should however Team GB fail to overcome Lativa (11), France (14) and Kasakhstan (17) and win the tournament it should not be seen as failure but rather as a stepping stone to future success, should they continue to receive the support they deserve.

I would like to take this moment to thank David for his contribution to British Ice Hockey and Team GB over the past 20 years; on behalf of all Ice Hockey fans in the UK.

Opening weekend brings double delight!

So the opening weekend of the 2012-13 season is done and dusted; and what a relief it is! With their opening day opposition once again the Telford Tigers, the opening game of the 2011-12 season may have been lingering in the back of the mind of Coach Dixon as they took to the ice on Saturday evening. But the shocking 4-1 loss from one year previous was not repeated to the delight of the fans.

With a wobble from the home-side in the opening encounter it was the visitors to take the lead in the 2nd minute as James Preece netted for the Tigers. However the Flames were quick on the attack and within a minute were back level as Curtis Huppe netted from Ben Campbell and Jozef Kohut.

A brace of penalties quickly came for the home-side as they found themselves on the wrong side of Thompson’s arm. First  Andrew Sharp was sent to the sin-bin for high-sticking at 4:38. Then Neil Liddard was called for the same penalty at 11:01. This did not limit the prowess however of the Flames attack and at 13:38 Ricky Plant put them in front; assisted by Stuart Potts and Sharp.

Coach Dixon was called for a roughing minor at 14:19 and shortly after Branislav Kvetan joined him in the box for another roughing minor penalty at 14:48. This gave the Tigers there best chance to strike back with a equaliser whilst holding the 5-on-3 advantage. But the defence held firm and were able to see out the remainder of the period to hold the one goal advantage at the first break.

Exactly 7 minutes into the second period, Captain David Longstaff found the net to extend the lead further; assisted by Jez Lundin and Nathan Rempel. Just over a minute later Huppe got his second of the evening assisted by Kohut to stretch the lead to 3. Five minutes from the break, the Flames put the game out of reach of their northern rivals when Longstaff added a second to his tally with assists going to Rempel and Hemmings. With Sharp returning to the box at 39:21 the Flames had to kill off yet another Tigers powerplay, but ended the period with a commanding 5-1 lead.

Rempel battles for the puck in the corner.

With the Flames holding a 4 goal lead to open the third and final period, their attack did not let up and Rempel scored in the 46th minute assisted by Longstaff and Liddard. The Tigers showed that never give up spirit that runs deep through the core values of their team and Jarolsav Cesky added a second marker for the Tigers; but it was too little too late for the Shropshire team when Huppe got his hat-trick goal with less than 10 minutes on the clock.  Hemmings added a final strike in the closing stages of the game assisted by Scott Greenfield and under 18 prospect Ben Edwards.

Huppe scores his third of the game.

With the Tigers a much improved team this season, some expected a challenge like the previous year, however the Flames displayed a controlled and tactical game plan to stretch the opposition out with the depth of skill and ability. The 8-2 result is a fair reflection of the game for which the Flames dominated for the majority.

On Sunday the Flames headed north west across Surrey and into Berkshire to visit the “Hive”; for the first season encounter between the close rivals. Unlike the previous evening the Flames came out the gates running and took an early lead courtesy of hat-trick hero Huppe, with the single assist to Kohut.

Marcel Petran was called for the first penalty of the match for holding, giving the Flames a powerplay opportunity, which is always a dangerous prospect for any team to face. Longstaff made the most of the man advantage to score his first goal of the evening at 10:32. Just over a minute later Matt Foord and Shaun Thompson combined to set up defenceman Sam Oakford as the Bees reduced the deficit by 1 whilst short-handed. Ex-Flame Lukas Smital grab the equaliser at 13:22 assisted by Petran to bring the teams level at the first period break.

Smital grabbed the equalising goal.

Just before the mid-way point of the game Dixon put his side back in front with a well timed strike, assisted by Longstaff and Rempel. In the 33rd minute the Flames were back in front with a pair, thanks to Longstaff’s second goal of the game, to give the visitors an advantage they would not give up for the remainder. With the Flames holding a 4-2 lead going into the second break the Bees were wondering what their game plan should be for the remaining 20 minutes.

But it took just 40 seconds after the re-start for the Flames to find the net once more. Kvetan’s strike extending the lead to 3 with a whole period still to play. With the Bees unable to find a way past the wall that was LEE; Lundin took exception to Jan Bendik shooting the puck at the Flames netminder after the whistle and the two dropped gloves to settle their differences.

Lundin and Bendik come to blows

With just 5 minutes remaining Rempel grabbed the Flames’ final goal of the game but the Bees were not done and Thompson scored a powerplay strike in the final 2 minutes. But it was not enough to overhaul the remaining 3 goal deficit and the Flames secured their second victory of the weekend 6-3.

The opening weekend has shown a lot of positives for the defending league champions. The adjusted lines seem to be working well, with Huppe and Kohut combining effectively. Longstaff, Rempel and Hemmings also seem content on the second line which will be encouraging to Dixon as the weeks pass by. Sharp seems to have upped his game vastly over the summer break and is now a welcomed sight on the third line. It was also pleasing to see under 18s prospect Ben Edwards receiving a decent amount of ice time on Saturday against the Tigers.

The defence also looks to be improved with Jez giving some decent performances despite coming off the back of major surgery at the end of last season. Kvetan is showing the same skill and potential as last season and it will be great to see what he can do over the whole year.

Next weekend the Flames have just one game on Sunday against the MK Lightning. Not taking anything away from the Tigers or Bees (i’m sure they’ll do well during the year) this is the first test for the champions. The Lightning are a new look team after the summer changes and pack more punch than has been seen in recent seasons. It’ll also be interesting to see how last term top scorer copes in his new environment. However the Lightning are coming off the back of a double victory against Peterborough and may be out to prove their worth. Any which way it’ll be a close and physical game so make sure you’re at the Spectrum on Sunday at 18:00!!